When He Was Gone
by imasupernaturalmoose
Summary: Dean is gone. The hell hounds took him. And Sam is alone. Until a hunter called Lea turns up.
1. Chapter 1: The Meeting

His breathe came out in puffs in front of his face. The blow that had struck him had sent him flying across the room and caused him to hit the wall, winding him. He staggered forward, pain flashing through his back. He should be used to this by now. He'd been flung against walls thousands of times by varying creatures and people and demons. His eyes searched desperately for his blade, ears listening for the vampire. There was a shuffle behind him. He whipped around, hit by pain again. A girl stood there, here brown curly hair pulled back into a ponytail. She held his blade in her hand. He launched himself at her. She moved to the side but was still hit by his fist. She dropped his blade and clutched her stomach. He crouched down, remarkably quick for a six foot three bag of muscle and hair.

He gripped the sword in his hand. He pointed it at her and slowly pulled it back. "Don't," the girl whimpered. "I'm not one of them. I'm a hunter." He stopped still. He had been hunting for over twenty years now and never had a vampire claimed that. He kept the blade raised though. Just in case. "Name? And don't bullshit me, I'll know," he asked.

"Lea. Lea McKynsall. I'm from Wyoming," she replied, still slightly breathless but much recovered from the blow. Her eyes widened. "Behind you!" she yelled.

Sam turned bringing the blade with his body, half expecting her to jump him from behind. It cut through the outstretched hand and the vampire cried out. He brought the blade back through the monster's neck and the body thumped to the floor just seconds before the head. He turned around again.

He turned back to the girl, Lea, noticing the outline of the gun in her inner jacket pocket and the blade hung by left hip. Right handed. He adjusted his stance slightly, ready to disarm her. "Lea? From Wyoming?" The girl nodded, one eye on the blade he had pointed at her. A drop of blood gathered at the end and slowly fell to the floor, landing between their feet. "I'm Sam. Sam Winchester. From Kansas. Why are you here?" he questioned.

"I was hunting. These vampires have been here for a couple of months now. Three people from the nearest town have gone missing and another four in a 20 mile radius. I got interested, did a bit of research. Found out they were here last night, came by today at noon to see if I was right. I was, so I came back. You were here and they were all dead except that one," she pointed behind him.

"Right. How long have you been hunting?" God how he wished Dean was here. A bit of backup would be nice in case she was a vampire or a vampire lover and decided to jump him.

"Three years now. My brother was bitten by a werewolf. He killed my mom, dad and little sister. I'd read enough books to guess that silver would at least hurt him enough to stop him. We had a silver dinner set. I went to stab his leg but he moved." Her voice broke for a second. She whispered, with tears in her eyes, " I got his neck. There was so much blood. It was everywhere. I figured I couldn't stay, not with three dead corpses and a wolf on the floor. So I packed and ran. And I began hunting."

He nodded. "Right, okay." He lowered the blade, still wary but more trusting. Dean would've been able to tell straight out if she was for real or not. "Do you need a lift home or are you okay?"

"I'm in the local motel. The Super 8. I can walk, its fine," she replied.

"I'm headed that way. Same motel actually. I'll give you a lift, come on," he replied. He couldn't let a girl, no matter how capable, go walking home when he didn't know if there were anymore vamps around. He started walking to the exit, swivelling his head to see if she was following. She was. He remembered that he had to burn the corpses. He stopped suddenly and she bumped into him. "Ouch."

"Sorry, I forget, my brother..." he stopped short. He wasn't talking about Dean to a girl he just met. "We need to get rid of the bodies. Can you start a pyre? I'll bring the bodies out," he asked, pulling a lighter out of his jacket and handing it to her.

"Can't we just set the place on fire? Much easier," she asked.

"No, it's too big and too local. Somebody could see and the fire brigade would be here before the bodies even caught. A pyre's smaller and less likely to be noticed. If you build it round the back, nobody should see," he explained. She nodded. Sam bent down to pick up one of the bodies. Her footsteps started up and then faded as she walked away. He lifted the body, trying not to get the blood on his jacket. He walked out the warehouse and towards Lea. He lay the body down and went back to find the head and the other bodies and dismembered bits.

As he watched Lea pour the gas and salt over the corpses, he remembered standing watching Dean do the same thing, countless times. The flame on his lighter caught and the girl held a match up to it, waiting for it to catch before throwing it onto one of the corpses. He listened to the familiar click of the lighter's cap. She walked and stood beside him. "Here," handing him the lighter back. His hand grasped it, feeling the familiar cold metal that Dean's hand had once warmed. "Thanks. Shall we?" he said indicating behind him where Baby was parked. She nodded, somehow sensing his disinclination to talk.

They walked slowly back to the car. He opened the door and slid in, watching as Lea glanced back at the growing flames before opening the door and sliding in, one jeans clad leg, then a hip and the rest of her followed. He gunned the engine and listened to her purr. The door closed and the radio clicked on, ACDC blasting out of the speakers. He flinched at the volume and quickly turned it down. He put his foot down and slowly drove away out of the warehouse's parking lot.

They drove in silence for the first two minutes. "You mentioned a brother earlier. Where is he?" Lea asked, curiosity filling her voice. His throat tightened momentarily. "He, uh," he cleared his throat. "He died. Last month. Um, he was, um, he had a contract with a demon. I died, last year, and Dean," he stopped. "Dean sold his soul for my life back. But the demon only gave him a year, instead of ten. So, the hellhounds came and, well, ya know," he finished, his voice cracking at the end as the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey. It'll be, well I'm not gonna say fine, 'cause it's never gonna be fine, but it'll get better I guess. Slowly," she said, and Sam could hear the regret and sorrow and sympathy in her voice. The regret over asking the question. The sorrow over his pain and the loss of her own brother. The sympathy and understanding in her voice. They were nearing the motel. He could see the blurred sign at the end of the road. They neared it, tears still flowing down his cheeks. He pulled in and parked. He lent his head back against the headrest, trying to slow the tears. He was failing miserably. A hand, a small hand, touched his bicep and squeezed. Soothing noises were coming from her throat as she comforted him. Slowly, he pulled himself together. The tears slowed, then stopped. He kept his head still, enjoying the stillness and the quite calm in the car. She made to move her hand and Sam let her. He turned his head to face her. She was looking at him, chocolate brown eyes wide and sad. She smiled a little and said, "We should be going in. You need to sleep." He nodded numbly and got out of the car. The doors slammed shut, echoing in the stillness.

The door to the motel was heavy as he pulled it open, his muscles screaming from the work. He just wanted to sleep. To sleep without the nightmares and the biting pain. Lea walked in front and he followed, his muscles weary and his head heavy. "What room number are you in?" she whispered, considerate of the other sleeping guests.

"231," he muttered. She smiled.

"We're neighbours. Come on," she gestured down the hall and began walking again. He continued to follow her. They reached their rooms. He fumbled for his key and put it in the lock. She was doing the same when he glanced at her. "Goodnight Lea," he whispered as he opened his door. Her voice echoed the returning sentiment as he entered his room. He turned around and smiled at her as he shut his door and locked it. He looked down at his clothes. He needed a shower.

He stumbled to the bathroom and turned the shower on, stripping quickly. He climbed in, shivering as the cold water hit his skin.

Lea entered her room and looked at her clothes. They were relatively clean. Her hands had a bit of blood on them and she was sure she had a blood splatter on her face from when Sam had chopped off the vampire's hand. She went to the bathroom to check. She did. She turned on the tap and began to wash her face. She would shower in the morning. She heard the pipes rattle as water moved through them and then there was a blast in the neighbouring bathroom. Sam must be showering, she thought. Sam. He was a strange man. She could sense that he was very lonely. She assumed his mom and dad must be dead as well as his brother. She had never felt such waves of sadness rolling off of one person. His name was familiar to her of course. Every decent hunter knew who the Winchester brothers were. Apparently, not every hunter knew that Dean was dead. She hadn't and she went to the Harvelles' roadhouse often enough to pick up the gossip. She shook her head and turned the tap off. She wandered into the bedsit and peeled off her clothes, folding them neatly and placing them on a chair before climbing into bed.


	2. Chapter 2: The Nightmare

Dean's face flashed. His green eyes were full of pain. His mouth was open a scream that reverberated in his ears. Invisible claws were ripping into his skin, blood seeping out. Dean struck out, his fists clenched, trying to strike the beast that was clawing his soul out of his body. His face was covered in sweat and blood, glistening. Sam was trying to fight the beasts he couldn't see. He was trying to save his brother. "Go!" Dean cried out, his voice distorted beyond belief with pain. Sam shook his head desperately, his mouth opening in a scream of despair that he couldn't hear.

The door to his room opened, arms enveloping his sweat covered body and holding him as he cried, heart-wrenching sobs that tore through his very soul. "No, no, no, Dean, no, please, don't leave me, Dean," he pleaded, still half in the nightmare.

"Shhhhhh, shhh," she soothed in his ear, rocking him slightly as she calmed him. Her voice slowly drew him back to reality, to the cold hard truth that his brother was dead and that he, the person who was supposed to watch his back, hadn't been able to save him. Had caused his death. He sobbed even harder then, his soul clenching. He cried until he had no more tears to shed and then he dry-sobbed, his throat soar and his head aching. And she held him until he was done and she held him afterwards, supporting his body and comforting him. And as he lay, feeling protected in her arms, he fell asleep.

He didn't feel Lea's eyes on him as she looked at this broken shadow of a man lying in her arms. She continued to rock and sooth him in sleep, all the while watching him. Remembering how she held her brother like this before he died. She rested her cheek against the top of his head and smelt the cheap motel shampoo in his long hair and fell asleep.

When Sam awoke, he was instantly aware of the arms enveloping him, the cheek pressed against the crown of his head and the hair mingled with his own. He stirred, moving slowly, remembering the nightmare, the flashback of the night that Dean was dragged from him. He remembered how she had held him as he cried and then fell asleep in her arms. She mumbled into his ear, some nonsensical words, and snuggled into him even more. He stiffened, not wanting to wake her.

He thought back to how she had held him, providing solid, human comfort. She had protected him in a way that only Dean had previously done. She had held him. He was grateful for that. He turned his head and jumped. Sitting in the chair was Dean. He blinked. And Dean was gone. He stared at the spot where phantom Dean had sat, willing him to come back. "Dean," he whispered, "Oh God Dean, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you, that I couldn't save you." His voice broke. He forced back tears. He wouldn't cry again. He refused to.

Lea stirred and her hold on him loosened. He turned his head to watch her, wary of her reaction. She blinked blearily, her head lifting off of Sam's. He turned his body and looked at her properly. She opened her eyes again and she looked around, confused. Then she looked down, her mouth forming an 'O' of surprise, before her eyes widened as she remembered.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft and slightly hoarse from the sleep.

He nodded, "Thank you. For last night. I appreciate it." She gave him a tiny smile.

"I know what it feels like to lose someone. To watch them die and not be able to do anything about it. To be the cause of death and to be alone afterwards. It was the least I could do," she said. She began to stretch, her back curving and her arms reaching to the sky. She rolled her neck. Sam sat up to allow her to move her legs. She moved them over the side of the bed and Sam could imagine her wiggling her toes and rolling her ankles. She stood up and moved to the door.

"Lea? Do you wanna grab breakfast? On me," he asked, feeling slightly shy. Breakfast seemed like an insignificant thank you but it was all he could think of. He watched as she smiled.

"That would be lovely. Half an hour? I need to shower and change so I'll meet you by your car?" she replied.

"Sure thing. I'll see you in half an hour," he smiled. She grinned and left his room. Sam rolled off the bed and padded to the bathroom. He stripped off his shorts and t-shirt and stepped under the shower. He needed to wash off the sweat from last night and water helped to clear his head. He scrubbed his skin again, the body wash lathering up thick and foamy. It smelt like musk. He would put that one in his bag, he liked it. He washed off the foam and got to work on his hair. He shampooed it, rinsed it, conditioned it, rinsed it and then stood, letting the water run over his face. He stood like this until he realised he only had about 10 minutes left.

He got out of the shower and towelled off before tying the towel around his waist and going to his duffel. He pulled out undershorts, his Harry Potter socks, some jeans, a plain grey tee and his plaid shirt. His fingers brushed the amulet he had put at the bottom of his bag. Dean's amulet. He pulled it out and looked at it. He brushed his fingers over the grooves in the charm and felt the soft, worn leather strap. He pulled it over his head. It was part of Dean and it comforted him. He got dressed quickly, then returned to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before grabbing his bag and heading out the door.

As he handed in his key at reception and left a tip, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Well you were hard to find," a female voice said, not Lea's he noted. It was a woman he'd never seen before. He blinked in confusion.

"You've got the wrong guy, I don't know who you are," he said, assuming that was the case. Unusual for him, his height normally distinguished him quite well, but there was an exception to every rule.

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'. She raised an eyebrow. "Really, Sam? Are you that stupid? Hello, big boy, its Ruby over here," her voice quickly gaining an incredible amount of sarcasm.

His mouth dropped open. "Ruby?" he hissed. "What the hell?" He glanced at the receptionist who was regarding them with interest. "Thank you," he said to her, before grabbing Ruby's arm and dragging her out of the door. "I thought you were in Hell? How did you escpae?"

"I didn't. I somehow managed to persuade Lilith that I was completely loyal to her and she released me. I'm supposed to be, ya know, killing you, but whatever. Pleased to see me?" she smirked. Sam blinked. Was he glad to see her? He didn't know.

"Yes, am I glad to see you! I was worried but, you were in Hell ad there was nothing I could've done. And with Dean and everything it's been kinda insane but if you're back, then maybe Dean could get out," he said, breathless with joy. If Ruby could get out, then so could Dean. He was sure of it.

"I'm not so sure about Dean-o getting out. Contract and all that? Oh yeah, and he's a Winchester and since Hell kinda lost your pops, they've been eager to get their hands on another one. Preferably both of you, but one is good. For now," she said, a look of sympathy on her face.

"Oh," Sam said. "But, there has to be some way, come on Ruby, think, please! This is my brother," his voice pleading.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sam, I really am, but I don't think it's going to happen." She looked behind him. Her head tilted and her eyebrow raised again. "Picking up the chicks though, hmm?"

Sam looked behind him. Lea was stood by Baby watching them. He smiled and waved slightly. She smiled and waved back. He looked back at Ruby. "I have to go. Call me later though, yeah? Please? And think of if there is any way possible to get him out, please," he asked. She nodded. "Thank you, really," he said, his voice exuding gratefulness. He backed away a step and began to turn away. Her hand reached out.

"No promises, Sam." He nodded. He didn't want promises, he wanted results.

He walked over to Lea and Baby. He reached for the car keys in his jacket and unlocked the car. "Ready?" he said, feeling happier than he had in a while.

"Ready," she replied.


	3. Chapter 3: Breakfast

They pulled into a local diner's car park about a mile down the road from the motel. As Sam cut off the engine, Lea opened her door and got out. Sam followed suit, pocketing the keys. They walked together to the door of the diner and went inside. They found a table, right in the middle of the establishment, and sat down. Neither spoke. In the busy bustle of the diner, Sam found it slightly disconcerting, but he left it. The waitress came over, "What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a short stack of pancakes and cherry syrup please," Lea replied.

"Same here, just with maple syrup please," Sam told the waitress his order, watching Lea out of the corner of his eye.

"And drinks?" the waitress asked.

"Coffee, black," Sam responded, watching Lea's nose wrinkle in disgust.

"Hot chocolate, extra milky, if you don't mind," Lea said, her nose still wrinkled.

"Sure thing honey, it'll be ready in ten," the waitress told them before walking back to the counter to give in their order.

"You don't like coffee?" Sam asked her, amused.

"It's disgusting, vile stuff that should all be poured down a sinkhole and never thought of or mentioned again," she said, her voice full of disgust and revulsion.

"Huh," Sam huffed. "You hate it that bad?"

She nodded. The silence returned. There was something slightly awkward about them sitting together. Sam wondered if it was because of Ruby's appearance.

"So, who was the girl back at the motel?" Lea asked, seemingly unable to curb her curiosity.

"Ruby, she's a uh, friend, of mine. She tried to help me save Dean from yeah, she tried to help save him, even though he hated her," Sam answered.

Lea nodded, seeming to accept this explanation. "She's not human is she?"

Sam stared at her, startled. "How the hell did you figure that out?" he asked, shocked.

"Oh ya'know, you kinda said something along the lines of 'I thought you were in Hell? How did you escape?" Humans don't typically escape Hell and I can add two and two together. She's a demon, isn't she?" There was a tone of demand in Lea's voice, one that Sam couldn't help but compare to Dean's.

He stayed silent weighing the consequences up. He could tell her the truth and watch her run away screaming from the boy with the demon blood who dealt with the demon chick or he could lie and watch her dig deeper to find out more. He opted for the first choice. "Yes, she is a demon. She's probably the only relatively good demon in Hell and she's helped us, me, a million times. She tried to find a way out for Dean. She gave us her knife that allows us to kill demons once and for all. She tried to help me save Dean. If I'd done what she said, Dean would probably still be alive."

Lea looked at him. She wasn't running yet. Sam didn't know if that was good or bad. She carried on looking at him. Sam was getting nervous now. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. She tilted her head, as if she was trying to figure him out. And then she nodded. "Okay, I believe you. So I won't kill her. Not yet anyway," she said, her voice quiet, like she was still trying to work him out, work out his reasons for trusting Ruby, for telling her. "Not unless she tries to kill me." That was fair enough.

"Okay."

Their food arrived; pancakes stacked in a pile with their preferred flavours of syrup drizzled all over them and their respective drinks. Sam grinned and picked up his coffee, blowing on it to cool it down. Mysteriously enough, the smell wafted over in Lea's direction. She glared at him and shot him the finger. He smirked at her and stopped blowing the smell at her, deciding to drink it instead. He watched as she tucked into her pancakes with violent, little stabs before calmly eating the morsel on her fork. He raised his eyebrows. "What did the pancake ever do to you?"

"Existed outside of my stomach," she replied, sarcastically.

He gave a very manly giggle before attacking his own pile of steaming pancakes. They ate their food in silence, both too concentrated on their food to even want to talk. It was the first proper meal Sam had had in ages. About a week actually. He should really eat more.

After they had finished and were reclining in their chairs drinking their coffee and hot chocolate, they began to make small talk. What their favourite food was. She loved candyfloss. Sam confessed to having a secret love for brussel sprouts. Favourite music genre. She enjoyed a bit of everything put did enjoy some heavier stuff like Blue Oyster Cult and ACDC, whereas Sam preferred the more up-to-date stuff. She scoffed at that, "That's not music, it's just noise and words jumbled together." What they were going to do when they went their own ways. She was going to investigate a case in Michigan, he was just going to road trip looking for a hunt.

"You could join me, if you like? I could do with your back up to be honest. And hunting without someone else can get lonely. I think it'd do us both good," she offered. Sam looked at her, wondering why she would want to hang around such a head basket. H e considered it. He'd been going a month without Dean and it was lonely, he had to admit. And he enjoyed Lea's company. He nodded, "I'd love to, thanks."

She grinned, "Excellent. I hope you have a map because this place is tiny."

"I have better than a map. I have a sat-nav," he smirked.

"Wicked."


	4. Chapter 4: This Is Bobby, Paranoid He Is

"So whereabouts in Michigan are we going?" Sam asked, the sat-nav perched on his knee.

"Arcada Township," Lea replied. "There have been three disappearances and two bodies have turned up."

"Okay, so what are we thinking?"

"Well, I've managed to get autopsy reports on the two bodies and the one thing they have in common? A small tattoo of a trident on the upper thigh. And, they really did decide to be helpful, what I'm assuming is a name underneath. But it's not in any language I've seen before. It looks like it's a bit of Italian, a bit of Greek and a bit of Egyptian. I've never seen anything like it," she said, looking at her laptop and frowning slightly.

Sam put the sat-nav on the dashboard. "Can I have a look?"

Lea passed the laptop over silently. He studied the pictures of the tattoos. The writing was distinct just... indecipherable. "I know someone who can help us; it's a bit of a road trip though. Like, six hours west to Sioux Falls and then thirteen hours east," he said, thinking that Bobby would definitely know what the writing was.

Lea nodded slowly. "Okay, let's do it. Start driving, amigo. We got a way to go apparently."

The car ride had been silent all the way to Bobby's. They'd pulled over to pick up snacks and gas halfway through and then carried on. They had no need to talk.

They pulled up at Bobby's house at about four. They got out of the car, duffel bags and all, and walked up to the door. Sam knocked on the door, loudly. The door creaked open, "Sam!" Bobby sounded happy to see him. They hadn't spoken since Dean's death, except for Sam ringing up to tell him that Dean had actually died. Bobby pulled him into a hug, "You bloody idjit, you should've called me!" Now Bobby sounded mad. "I was worried sick. I've rang you multiple times and you haven't picked up a single one! I was getting ready to put word out that you were in trouble!"

Sam decided it would be best to look sheepish, "Sorry, Bobby."

"You'd best be sorry you great big ball of hair!" Bobby scolded him. Sam shifted slightly and Bobby saw Lea. "Who are you?"

"Err, Bobby, this is Lea, she's a hunter. We're working a case together and kinda need your help," Sam interjected quickly. Bobby nodded slowly.

"Have you checked her?"

_Crap. _"Oops?"

Bobby cuffed him and pulled out a flask. "Arm," he demanded gruffly. She held her arm out, looking a bit overwhelmed, and Bobby splashed her with the holy water. "Not a demon." He pulled out a silver knife and then Lea began to look a bit scared. She looked at him and he shrugged apologetically. Bobby placed the blade against her skin and dragged it across. "Not a werewolf. Okay." He moved out of her way and she stepped into the house, holding her arm up now to try and stem the bleeding.

Sam ruffled around in his bag and pulled out a band aid. He offered it to her and she took it gratefully. "Sorry about that. I forgot to tell you he can be kinda paranoid."

"Hey! Better paranoid than dead!"

They moved into the living room and Lea's face visibly lit up. There were books stacked everywhere, the table, the floor, on top of the old TV set. Bobby gestured to the sofa and the sat down.

"So what's up?" Bobby asked.

Lea spoke first, "There have been three disappearances in Arcada Township and two bodies have shown up. Both have the same tattoo." She showed him the pictures. "We don't know what the writing beneath it is. I have a feeling that it's a name but I'm not sure."

Bobby took the pictures and scrutinized them. He grunted a couple of times then walked over to his bookshelf. Mumbling to himself, he slid his fingers across the spines of the books and then pulled one out. He opened the book and then flicked through the pages, stopping about three quarters of the way through.

"It's a Greco-Egyptian dialect that the Ptolemy family used after they created a new religion to try and unite the Greeks and Egyptians. The staff is the symbol of Serapis, who was a small village god but was then elevated to the status of main deity by Ptolemy the First. He became the ruler of the Underworld and usurped Hades and Osiris. Ended up marrying Isis as well. The trident allegedly has the power to control the past, present and future. He's powerful; he can control the earth, the dead and the sun, how fast people heal!" Bobby said.

Sam gulped. "You would find this one wouldn't you?"

Lea nodded.

They set off early the next morning, having slept at Bobby's for the night. Before they'd left, Bobby had pulled Sam over and said to him, "Don't even think about it. Don't even think about asking Serapis to raise Dean again. It's not natural and you know it. You leave it, you hear me boy?"

It had kept Sam up until the early hours of that morning thinking about it. He could have his brother back. Lea could have her family back. They could be happy again. He could carry on hunting with Dean and Lea could go back to living a normal life.

But Sam had promised Bobby that he wouldn't ask Serapis to raise Dean and he would stick to that promise. Bobby was right; coming back from the dead wasn't natural. After all, if he'd stayed dead then Dean would still be alive.

So he had gotten in the car with his promise given to Bobby and he had driven off with Lea. It would be a long journey; at least thirteen hours if not longer.

"Hey, Lea, can you drive?" he asked as they pulled onto interstate.

"Yeah, I can drive. Got my license just before I left," she replied. Sam wondered how old she was.

"Great, we'll have to do shifts. I'll do three hours and then you do three, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered. They drove on in silence.

The first hour passed in silence, as did the second. About halfway through the third, Lea started humming. Sam smiled a bit. After they changed seats, she carried on humming along to the radio. And then she started singing.

"I was a movin' man in my younger days

But I gone out of my ramblin' ways

I left that road so far behind"

Sam giggled and then began to laugh.

"What?" she exclaimed.

Sam just laughed harder.

"Hey, are you laughing at me?"

Sam nodded, "You're so out of tune, it's unbelievable!"

She hit him on the arm and he clutched it, dramatically falling back against the window. "No, please don't hit me!" he cried out, laughing all the while.

She hit him again, laughing as well. "Oh that wasn't so bad. I've had girls hit me harder than that," he teased. She punched him again, harder this time, and he winced. "Now that hurt."

She giggled and they carried on driving, smiling and singing along to the radio, both as out of tune as the other.


	5. Chapter 5: Aren't They Cute?

They arrived at Arcada Township at about 6 o'clock that evening. As they drove into town, Lea pulled out her phone and pulled up a map of the town, which showed on it three motels. She tapped the screen, "Well, there's the Triangle Motel in Alma which has some good reviews. Always clean, a nice TV, more upmarket than a Super 8. 13 minutes down the road to Arcada. Or there's the Alma Motel, again in Alma, which has high speed wi-fi and is 11 minutes down the road. Or there is the Ithaca Motel, in Ithaca would you believe it, that is again, 11 minutes down the road. Take your pick, but I'm saying the Alma Motel."

Sam nodded, "Sure, the Alma's fine by me. Have you got directions?"

"Uh, yeah. We need Luce Road." She looked up. "Oh look, street signs. Just follow those, I guess."

Sam sniggered but did as he was told. They'd been driving for fourteen hours – damn that crash on the interstate – and he was exhausted. If he didn't get some shut eye soon he was going to collapse.

He followed the street signs to the motel and pulled in. They got out the car, grabbed their bags and headed inside. The woman at the desk looked at them as they came in. She put her drink down and pulled the computer mouse nearer to her.

"Hi, how can I help?" she asked.

"Uh, one room, two singles please," Sam answered.

"Okay, hunny. Do you know how long you'll be staying for or do you want me to leave it open?"

"Oh leave it open, please," Lea replied. "Indefinite stay and all that." She gave a little giggle.

"Sure thing sweetie. Are you sure you want a room with two singles? We do have a room with a double and a room with a king free," the lady asked, looking at them.

_Oh crap, she thinks we're a couple._

"Nah, that's fine thanks."

"Okay. Here's your key, down the hall, fourth door on the right. Enjoy your stay," she gave them the key and pointed down the hall. Sam and Lea nodded and walked in the direction she had pointed in.

"Well, aren't they cute?" the woman said down the hall, presumably to someone in the back. Sam blushed and glanced down at Lea, not really surprised to see that she was too.

They found their room easily enough. It was spacious, the two beds were a decent length (something Sam was grateful for) and distance apart from each other, there was a nice TV and "A mini-bar?! We have a mini-bar? What the hell, I never get the room with the mini-bar!" Lea exclaimed.

"I'm lucky," Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and dumped her stuff on one of the beds before crouching next to the fridge and pulling out two beers.

"Hey, catch!" She threw the bottle across the room. Sam's hand shot out and gripped it tight. He put the cap in his teeth and pulled it off. He threw the cap in the bin and took a sip of the beer. He sighed.

"Well, what now?" she asked.

"We set up the laptop and the radio, wait and do some research," Sam replied, pulling his laptop out of his bag. He plugged it in and opened it up. The screen blinked into life and a photo of him and Dean appeared. They had their arms around each other and a bottle raised in a mock salute.

"_Ahh, come on boys, you gotta have a picture taken!" Ellen said, the camera in her hand._

"_Aww no, come on Ellen," Sam groaned. Her hands went to her hips and she raised the camera threateningly._

"_Fine, fine," Dean grumbled, pulling Sam into his side and raising his beer bottle in a salute. Sam mimicked the position and plastered a grin on his face. The camera flashed and Dean took a swig of his beer, his hand still holding Sammy in place. "Hey, Sammy, guess what?"_

"_What?" Sam said, trying to pull away._

"_We're joined at the hip!" Dean exclaimed. Sam looked down and let his head drop back in expiration when he say the piece of rope that Dean had somehow managed to wrap around both of their waists and tie in a knot._

"_Awww, come on Dean, don't be a bloody git," Sam moaned. Dean just giggled and took another drink._

A hand whacked his arm. "Hey, Sam!" Lea almost shouted.

"What?" he asked, startled.

"Jesus, talk about zoning out," she grumbled. "I was saying, do you need a password for the wi-fi?"

"Oh, uh, let me check." He clicked on the button that would allow him to hook up to the wi-fi. "Yeah, I'll go and get it. I saw a vending machine down the hall, do you want anything?"

"Yeah, I'll have a packet of crisps and a coke thanks," she replied before heading into the bathroom. "And stay out! I'm gonna be showering."

He raised his hands in a display of surrender and walked out of the room. He went to the vending machine first and got a bag of crisps, a chocolate bar and two cokes. He'd order a pizza in a bit. He nipped back into their room and placed their respective snacks down, before heading down to the lobby.

He strolled up to the desk. The lady, Edith apparently, looked up and smiled. "Hi sweetie, how can I help you?" she asked.

"I was wondering if I could have the wi-fi password? I have some forms to be filling in and some banking to be doing and stuff so it would be a big help," he asked, purposely rambling. He'd found that in the past it'd put people at ease.

"Yeah, sure thing, let me find it out for you," she replied, rummaging around before pulling out a card. "Do you want me to write it down for you?"

"Yes, please." Sam waited for a heartbeat. "We heard on the radio about a couple of people disappearing and then turning up dead, have they caught the person doing it yet?"

"No they haven't but my son's friend is one of the officers on the case and he says that they shouldn't be far off finding the killer. They think it's a team of people, did you know? It's terrible, a small town like that having three people go missing and two turn up dead a couple of days later. Truly awful," Edith sounded genuinely upset. "Well, here you are, enjoy your stay and please don't worry about the disappearances, they only seem to be taking people who live in Arcada."

He smiled as he took the card, "Thank you and we won't." He smiled again and walked back to the room. He had found them a lead and all he'd wanted was the wi-fi password.

"Hey, Lea, I found a lead!" he called through the bathroom door.

A muffled shout of "Okay!" came back.

He smiled and ripped open his chocolate bar whilst putting the wi-fi password into his laptop.

He was watching the Winchester boy. He enjoyed watching the Winchester. He had been doing it since he was born. It was the way it was. It had been commanded. His job was to watch him. And watch him he would. It was his duty and though he had shirked many of his duties before, this was one that he refused to shirk. Much like the other watcher had refused to shirk this responsibility. They had sat and watched the two Winchesters grow up and grow old and grow young and die and get hurt and done nothing to intervene. Had done very little to intervene, he corrected himself. Very little interaction, just enough that he was made aware of his presence but hadn't become suspicious of him over a long period of time. It was almost time though. He looked at the other watcher and nodded. They stood.


	6. Chapter 6: Arithmancy & Criminal Records

After Lea had got out the shower and Sam had filled her in, he went for a shower. The water was warm and the jet powerful. He let himself relax and slowly the tension in his shoulders dropped away. He washed and got out after about twenty minutes. "Ah, crap," he muttered. He'd left his clothes in his duffel. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to the door. He opened it a crack. "Err, Lea? You might want to turn around a minute, I kinda left my clothes in my duffel and I need to get them," he said awkwardly.

"Oh, okay," she said. Sam heard her shuffle around a bit. "Yeah, you can come out now."

"Huh, thanks," he replied before running out and grabbing his bag. He turned around and "oh, fuck!"

"What?" she said, startled and turning around.

"Oh God, Lea, don't turn around," he said in a rush bending down and grabbing the towel that had fell from his hips. He quickly shoved the towel in front of his lower region before looking at Lea. Her mouth was an 'O'. He gave a sheepish grin and started edging towards the bathroom. She quickly turned around again and covered her eyes.

He scuttled into the bathroom, a rosy pink evident in his cheeks when he looked in the mirror. He dropped the towel, safe in the privacy of the bathroom and opened his bag, pulling out his clothes. He picked up the towel again and dried off his skin before pulling on his boxers, sweats and a shirt. His pyjamas really.

He folded the towel and put it back on the rack neatly. A couple of things had fallen out of his bag so he stuffed them back into the bag before opening the door and heading back into the motel room.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, feeling awkward.

"Don't worry about it, I've seen worse. Definitely seen worse," she muttered back. "So, I've found something."

"Yeah?" This was good, a safe topic.

"Yeah. Bobby said this god was Serapis right?" She looked at him as he nodded. "Well, Serapis is the Greco-Egyptian god of the dead and there was a cult, thousands of years ago dedicated to him. It was a well known cult but only the _inner _inner circle knew certain rituals to summon him. I managed to find one online. A miracle, it was on page twenty of Google." She rolled her eyes.

"A ritual?" Sam sat down next to her and began reading the page.

"Yeah," she said. "It requires the person doing the summoning to be 'pure', mix a few ingredients, say an incantation, Serapis turns up, bound to the person summoning him and then after, from what I can tell, after 48, the person drops dead and Serapis just disappears. So he kind of has an expiry date until the next person summons him."

Sam nodded slowly, "He's linking his time here to a human. He has a time length though. Why? Why 48 hours?"

"I haven't got a clue," she shrugged, scrolling down the page. "But it also mentions something to do with arithmancy? I mean, what is arithmancy?"

"Arithmancy," Sam breathed. Lea looked at him clueless. "Have you never seen or read Harry Potter?"

Lea shook her head and Sam rolled his eyes. He pulled the laptop towards him and typed in arithmancy. He pulled up a website. "Let's see what the numbers say."

"Sam, what is arithmancy?"

"It's a branch of magic that uses numbers to answer questions. You can take letters and convert them into their respective numbers and then add the numbers up until you have a single figure like, say, three. The three would then stand for something, a representation. They call it the character number. It tells you the personality type of a person," he replied. "Here, a definition of the number meanings. So, four add eight equals twelve. Two add one equals three. Let's see what three means, shall we?"

He read the page. "'Three represents the idea of completeness or wholeness, as in the threesomes past, present and future and mind, body and spirit. Three indicates talent. Energy, an artistic nature, humour and social ease. Threes are often lucky, easygoing and highly successful but they can also be unfocused, easily offended and superficial.'"

"Well that tells us nothing," Lea sighed, sounding frustrated.

"Well, it does tell us that he has the power to alter the past, present and future. And he can alter the mind, body and spirit of a person. Did these men have families?"

Lea pulled the files closer to her and flicked them open. "Yeah, wives, two kids each. Why?"

"Bank situation?"

"I don't know, it doesn't say," she replied. Sam nodded, focused. If he was right – "Sam, what do you think happened?"

"I think these men knew each other. Went to the pub together, soccer match, kids in the same school, interlinking businesses. Or they were in the same cult. I think that if we look at their finances, they'll be pretty low on cash. I think they summoned Serapis, asked him to sort out their finances, their kids futures, something that involved the past or present being altered. And then I think they paid him. Not with money, with their souls," he said, speaking so fast that his words were slurring together.

Lea stared at him. "You got all of that from an expiry date and a bit of _arithmancy? _You must be some kind of genius!"

"Meh, more like ex-lawyer-in-training who never actually graduated or got his place at Stanford because his dad went missing, brother showed up and dragged him on a road trip and then went to bed to find his girlfriend dead on the ceiling before the boarding house burst into flames," he shrugged. He had accepted it and now he found it easier to talk about.

"Your girlfriend died? Because your dad went missing and your brother turned up?" Lea asked.

"No, she died because I got to close and Azazel wanted to hurt me," Sam replied quietly.

"Azazel? As in the _demon _Azazel?"

Sam nodded and Lea took a deep breath. "So you're dangerous to be around I guess. I should be running now shouldn't I?" Lea mused.

Sam gave a half-hearted chuckle, "Yeah, you should really. I mean, there have been two people who've never run away or kicked me out. One's Dean and the other's Bobby."

"But Dean died so now all you have is Bobby," Lea stated quietly. "And me. If you want me to stick around that is. Choice is yours."

"You want to stick around? Why?"

"Because, Sam, I like you. You're funny and kind and brainy and a lawyer might come in useful someday. I mean, in our profession? Bound to need one someday, right?" she said.

"Definitely. I've had one or two in my time. Nothing serious. Just, murder and such," he joked.

"Seriously? Murder?"

"Shapeshifter a couple of years back framed Dean as a murderer and me as an accomplice. That put us on the wanted list until Dean ganked the bitch. Then he was off the hook and... Now I think about it, I'm probably still on the most wanted list," Sam gave a short laugh. "And then there's breaking and entering, a couple of car hijacks, a bit of theft of ancient artefacts from museums. Just normal hunter stuff."

"And to think all I've ever got is a speeding ticket," Lea commented drily.

They both laughed at that. The atmosphere was a bit more relaxed than it had been before. Sam felt a bit closer to Lea than he had before either.

"So how about ordering a pizza and brainstorming what to do about Serapis?" Sam suggested.

"You got it. You want to order? I'm cool with anything as long as there aren't too many mushrooms," Lea offered.

"Yeah, sure. A meat feast?" Sam asked.

"Hell yeah!"

He picked up the phone.


	7. Chapter 7: Kidnapped

Their pizza arrived half an hour later, a succulent meat feast covered in cheese. Both Sam and Lea were salivating over it, eager to sink their teeth into it. They sat on Sam's bed, legs crossed and the pizza between them, bottles of beer on the floor. They each picked up a slice and bit into it.

"Bleurgh, that is _vile_," Lea spluttered, hurrying to the bathroom. Sam's eyes watered at the overpowering taste of chilli peppers and garlic. He forced himself to swallow it.

"I agree," Sam called to her, reaching down to pick up his beer bottle, hoping to wash the taste down. He took a swig of his drink. "Oh, God," he retched, running into the bathroom and shoving Lea out of the way of the sink, spitting out his drink. He ran the tap, cupping his hands and gathering the water in them, slurping messily, trying to rid himself of the horrible taste.

There was a knock at the door. Sam went to answer, Lea still bent over the toilet. The pizza boy stood there, a grin on his face. "Hello Sam," the kid said.

"Do I know you?" Sam said, instantly suspicious. Miraculously, the grin stretched even wider over his face. He snapped his fingers. Sam threw his head back in annoyance and opened the door further, moving out of the way.

The Trickster stepped into the room, his shoulder brushing past Sam's chest as he went in. Sam flinched, just slightly, as what felt like an electric shock reverberated through the point of contact. The Trickster smirked.

"Did you enjoy the pizza? I enjoyed making it," the Trickster laughed, his smirk growing slightly bigger.

"I swear to God, I will kill you. And I will laugh as I do it," Sam growled, already frustrated. The Trickster rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Sam looked at him suspiciously. "Lea?" he called.

There was no answer. Sam launched forward, his fingers closing around the throat that belonged to the Trickster. He lifted him up. "Bring. Her. Back. NOW!" he snarled, his fingers tightening. The Trickster gasped for breath, his legs kicking Sam's shins feebly as he struggled. He shook his head.

"We need to talk," he croaked. "About your future. You'll see her afterwards, I swear." He stopped, his hands clawing at Sam's, trying to prise him off. Sam snarled once more and threw him against the wall. He advanced, shoving the Trickster against the wall, pressing himself against him so that all his body was pinned down.

"Talk," his voice was full of anger and the Trickster could detect a slightly larger amount of hate than he'd anticipated.

"Dean's in Hell," he started before being shoved against the wall again, his head slamming back.

"Tell me something I don't know. Like why you're here," Sam growled, quickly losing patience.

"To tell you that Serapis knows you're here and I've been ordered to take you away from here. So we're going," the Trickster snapped. Sam released him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Not after what you put me through," Sam stated, his stubbornness shining through.

The Trickster rolled his eyes, "Like you saying no's going to stop me." He clicked his fingers.

Sam reeled, his head hurting from the sudden rush of movement. He groaned and opened his eyes. The Trickster was crouched in front of him, just out of arm's reach. Sam felt the hate flicker through his eyes and hoped the Trickster saw it.

"Sorry Sammy, it had to be done," the Trickster muttered. "Gotta keep you safe. Daddy's orders."

"Daddy's orders? Oh wait, of course, there's bound to be some bastard that thought it would be absolutely _hilarious _to create more of you little..." Sam continued to grumble as the Trickster stood up.

"My father, Sam, is God. I'm not a Trickster, I'm an angel, alright? An archangel, to be exact. Gabriel, if you want to be even more exact. So I suggest you tread very carefully because even though I've been ordered to protect you, I will lock you in solitary. And when we get your brother back, I won't let you see him in person. Understand?" Gabriel threatened, his voice soft and calm, making him even more threatening.

Sam gulped, suddenly a lot more scared. Angels were supposed to be nice but from what he'd seen so far, they weren't exactly holding up to that particular requirement. He nodded, deciding to keep quiet.

"Wait, Dean? You're going to get Dean back?" Sam asked, his voice full of emotion. "Is it even possible? Ruby says it isn't-"

A hand cracked across his face. "Never mention the name of that particular abomination in front of me unless absolutely necessary ever again. Demon's don't have souls, demon's don't have feelings and demon's definitely DON'T have names. They're long forgotten, long dead. Even your brother doesn't have a name anymore. He's slowly becoming one of them, torturing souls and my brethren are risking their lives to rescue him. So do me a favour and DON'T" Gabriel snarled. It seemed to Sam that their roles had been switched at a drastic pace.

"Fine," Sam spat out. He could taste the blood on his tongue from where he'd bit his cheek.

They glared at each other for a minute more before Gabriel walked away and stood leaning against a wall. Sam took the opportunity to look around.

Sam averaged the room to be about 3 metres by 5 metres. The walls were white and the floor was a polished marble. In the centre of the room there was a trestle table and on either side there were benches.

Sam stood and went to sit on one of the benches. There was a snap and food appeared on the table. Another snap and two glasses appeared as well.

Sam leant over and grabbed an apple, sniffing it to see if he could detect anything suspicious about it. "I'm not going to poison you Sam, I'll leave that to everyone else," Gabriel said in a bored voice.

"Oh great, so there was poison in the pizza we ate?" Sam asked sarcastically. He wouldn't put it past the Trickster part of Gabriel.

"Oh yes, definitely. I put some arsenic and some mercury in it, just for fun. Because I want to kill you," Gabriel jested, his tone now light. Sam glared at him again and took a bite of the apple. It tasted normal.

"So where's Lea?" Sam asked, worried for his new hunting partner.

"Safe in the Alps. Another angel is with her. Stop worrying so much, Sammy," Gabriel replied.

"Only Dean can call me Sammy," he told the archangel.

"And what are you going to do about? Kill me?" Gabriel replied, but Sam noticed how he left the 'Sammy' opportunity alone.

"Maybe," Sam began to muse how he could kill him. Gabriel began to snicker, crunching on a lollipop he had manifested. "What are you laughing at?"

"You! Fire won't kill me, by the way," Gabriel carried on snickering.

"Get out of my head!" Sam half-yelled.

"Neither will drowning me, stabbing me or strangulation."

Sam glared at him. "Can I go back now?" he asked.

"Maaaybe," the archangel drawled out. "But maybe not."

Sam launched himself at Gabriel. There was a flash of light and Gabriel was gone. Sam's momentum carried him forward, straight into the wall. As Sam lay on the floor, wondering how bad his headache was going to be tomorrow, Gabriel doubled over laughing.

"Don't mess with an archangel, Sammy boy. I can do much worse than that," Gabriel wheezed, unable to speak properly from laughing so much. Sam didn't say anything, his head in his hands trying to nurse the beginnings of a headache away. Gabriel walked over, still chuckling, and laid two fingers on Sam's forehead. His headache disappeared.

"A thank you would be nice," Gabriel told Sam, half scolding, half not.

"You caused it, you bloody midget, you don't deserve a thank you," Sam grumbled. Gabriel began to snigger again.

"Awww, come on Sam, don't be like that. I've heard you live a rough life, you should be used to it by now," Gabriel said.

"Just how long exactly _have _you been watching me?" Sam asked, curious.

"Errr, most of your life. Since before you were born. I oversaw the creation of your soul, you know," Gabriel told him.

"The creation of my soul?"

"Well, yeah. Souls are created by angels and then installed into a child's body at the time of conception. Where else did you think they came from?" Gabriel explained.

"I don't know. Just, created along with the body? Another one of life's unexplained mysteries explained. Thanks for that," Sam said, filing this information away. Gabriel just nodded. He tilted his head slightly, like he was listening to something.

"Okay, we can go back now," he said. "But first." He laid two fingers to Sam's forehead. "Goodbye, Sam Winchester."

And Sam's world went black.

When Sam came to, he was lying on his bed. He groaned and sat up to stretch, looking over at Lea's bed to see if she was there. She was, snoring softly. He smiled and then frowned. He was missing something, he was sure of it.

He chucked his legs over the side of the bed and felt his foot hit a cold object. He looked down and swore softly under his breath, leaning down quickly to pick up the half-full beer bottle. There was a dark stain spreading over the carpet.

He ran to the bathroom and pulled off a wad of toilet paper. He ran back to the dark spot and began to sponge the liquid up, hoping he could lessen the damage to the carpet. He finished mopping it up, glad to see the lessening darkness.

He loped his way over to the bin (all it took was two strides) and chucked the toilet paper in before going back to the bed and sitting down. He began to focus on the nagging feeling in his stomach that he's forgotten something. He couldn't have blacked out from an alcohol intake because he'd only had one and he always remembered what he'd done when he was drunk anyway. Most of the time. Dean had said that he'd done some stuff a couple of times but he couldn't remember any of it. Then again, Dean could've been lying.

He frowned and looked over at Lea. She was still curled up in a ball under the sheets, snoring away. She looked quite cute. He frowned even harder and shook his head. Now was not the time to be distracted by a girl. No way. He had to figure out what had happened.

He looked down again at his feet. What was he missing? They'd ordered a pizza, which had been disgusting so they'd thrown it in the trash, and had a beer or two each. They can't have gone to bed _that _early. Sam very rarely went to bed and left a half-full beer bottle.

Unless the pizza had been drugged. But that was unlikely. Why would a pizza shop drug their food? Sam reached over and sniffed the beer bottle. Nope, smelt alright. He took a tiny sip. A bit stale but otherwise okay.

And there was something else as well. A voice that was insisting he pack up his stuff and leave this case. He got up and picked up his laptop before sliding it into his bag. He took some clothes out of his duffel and went to the bathroom. After he'd changed, he packed up his clothes and emptied the beer down the bathroom sink. "What am I doing?" Sam asked himself, but since he'd acknowledged the thought, all he could do was continue packing.

He piled his stuff by the door and walked over to Lea's bed. He shook her gently and she moaned. "Come on Lea, gotta get up," he whispered softly, hating his waking her up.

"Why?" she groaned, blinking blearily. She threw an arm over her face and snuggled further down the bed.

"'Cause we've got to leave. I don't know why, but we have to," he said, talking to her like he would a child.

She turned her head into the pillow and a muffled noise escaped. "Fine," she replied, her voice still muffled, "just give me ten minutes to wake up, alright?"

He rolled his eyes and leaned over her. He grabbed the duvet and pulled it right down the bed. She shot up, her body instantly reacting to the change of temperature. She grabbed for the bedding but Sam dragged it all the way off the bed. He grabbed her bag and threw it at her. "Get changed. I'll meet you in the car," he said. He walked over to the door and grabbed his bags. "Ten minutes otherwise I'm carrying you out," he warned.

She shot him the finger as he closed the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8: Getting It Off My Chest

Lea arrived by the car with 30 seconds to spare before Sam went into to get her. She glared at him as she slid into the Impala. "Why the actual fuck did you wake me up and tell me to leave? We haven't even finished the case yet!" she grumbled.  
>"I don't know. I just have a massive urge to get out of here and drive to Bobby's until another case turns up. And I'm sorry if that's not how you normally work but I follow my gut instinct and its telling me to get out, so out I am getting," he replied, preparing for a massive lecture about how it could've waited until she had woken up naturally.<br>"Well you could've waited half an hour!" Sam rolled his eyes and sighed. "I wasn't far off waking up and forty minutes extra wouldn't have killed you!"  
>He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, alright? But we're getting out of here and for some reason I don't think we would've survived another forty minutes!"<br>She mumbled under her breath and Sam started up the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive, following the road that had brought them into town. "Is there anywhere you want me to drop you off?" he offered, doubting that she would want to come to Bobby's with him.  
>"Uh well, I don't exactly have anywhere else to go, so would you mind if I came with you to Bobby's?" she asked, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.<br>"No that's fine. A bit of company would be nice," Sam replied.  
>Lea nodded and they sat in silence, Sam looking straight ahead as he drove and Lea looking out of the window at the passing trees and houses. As they pulled up to the junction, Sam turned his head to check the way was clear. He jumped. Stood on the corner were two men, looking at them. They raised their hands and waved. One of them looked familiar but the other one was a stranger all together. He blinked and the men were gone.<br>"What the-?" he breathed, staring at the spot where they had stood.  
>"Hmm?" Lea made a noise of enquiry as she turned to face him.<br>He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "Oh um, nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, that's all. Just my imagination playing tricks on me," he huffed. The smaller man, the one that looked familiar, Sam was sure he knew him.  
>He pulled out onto the road and carried on driving, the men soon filed away into the back of his mind, forgotten for the moment.<p>

It was getting dark when they pulled up at Bobby's. The house was dark and the car that was normally parked at the front was gone. "Great, he isn't here," Sam muttered. He reached into the back and grabbed his bags before clambering out of the car. Lea followed suit.  
>"If he's gone, then how are we supposed to get in?" Lea asked.<br>"Have you never picked a lock before?" Sam asked, incredulous. Every decent hunter knew how to pick a lock.  
>Lea shook her. "Nope, never needed to," she replied, seemingly mystified at Sam's confusion. Sam looked at her and raised his eyebrows before turning to the door. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his set.<br>He eased the tension wrench into the lock and set about using the pin to jimmy the lock. He bit his lip as he concentrated. There was a small click and he smiled, satisfied. The handle turned in his hand easily and the door eased open.  
>"Ladies first," he said, feeling gallant. Lea giggled as she stepped inside. He chuckled as well as he stepped in and closed the door behind them. He felt for the light switch but before he could reach it he felt a small hand on his arm.<br>"Sam?" Lea asked, sounding shy.  
>"Yes?" Sam asked keeping his voice quiet for some reason.<br>"I hope you don't mind me doing this," she whispered before she leant into Sam and reached up to cup his face. She pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his, locking them into position like they were meant to be pressed together. Sam opened his mouth and pressed his tongue against her lips, seeking permission to enter.  
>She opened her mouth for him and their tongues began to dance together. Sam placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him, pressing their bodies together in as many places as possible. She pushed against him and Sam took the hint, stumbling backwards into the door. He flipped her around so that she had her back to the wall and he was leaning over her, a hand above their heads, supporting his body.<br>The kiss was deep and passionate and when it ended Sam pressed his forehead against Lea's. Their breath mingled in the few centimetres between each of their faces. Sam pulled away slowly after a few minutes, leaning to the side to turn on the light switch.  
>He looked at her in the light. Her hair was slightly dishevelled and her lips were red and swollen. He could feel his tingling as they reacted to the lack of pressure and the cold air that was Bobby's house.<br>"Wow," she said, looking shocked.  
>"What?" Sam asked.<br>"You didn't push me away," she replied, her voice stunned.  
>"Why would I push you away?" Sam was confused now.<br>"I don't know, I just thought you would," she replied, sounding mystified. "I didn't think there was even a possibility of you responding like that but I had to kiss you."  
>Sam grinned. "Well," he said, before leaning down again and pressing his lips against hers. He ran his tongue over her lips, asking for permission. She gasped and Sam took the opportunity, swiping his tongue into her mouth. His tongue swept her cheeks and the roof of her mouth before it entangled with her tongue. Their lips moved in sync with each other.<br>The door slammed and Sam instantly pulled back from her, his cheeks flushing. His body had assumed an automatic defensive position, with Lea positioned behind him. He watched as Bobby strolled through the door, relaxing. Bobby looked at them and rolled his eyes. "Oh for God's sake, what now?" he grouched.  
>Sam grinned. "My gut instinct kicked in. We got out. We came here. Hope you don't mind," he summarised.<br>"Well of course I don't mind ya idjit; a phone call might've been nice though. A bit of warning before I strolled into my own house to find you two sucking each other's faces off would've been nice as well," Bobby grumbled. "You know where the back bedroom is, dump your stuff there."  
>"Thanks Bobby," Sam said before grabbing his duffel and navigating the hallway to the stairway. Lea followed, her cheeks still a bright magenta of embarrassment and bags in her hands.<p>

They sat on the bed, cross-legged and facing each other, bags dumped on the floor. Lea opened her mouth slightly, before shutting it again. The silence continued.  
>"Before, we decided anything," Sam started, "Like, if we're going to try this out, whatever this is, you're probably going to want to know everything."<br>"Okay," Lea said. "Knock yourself out. Let me have it."  
>Sam swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Huh. Okay, um. Well, I was born in Lawrence, Kansas to John and Mary Winchester, on May the second. My older brother's called Dean, I don't know if you knew that. When I was exactly six months old, my mother died. She was killed, by a demon. Um, Azazel, actually, ha ha." He laughed nervously.<br>"Um, Azazel, was -" he swallowed again. "Azazel was feeding me his blood." He rushed it out, his head hanging slightly. Soft fingertips touched his chin and the side of his face. His head was lifted and Lea forced him to look into her eyes. She nodded slightly, an encouragement to continue.  
>"My dad went on this revenge quest thing. I was brought up on the road, mainly by Dean. Dad was there for some of it, but he was usually researching, hunting or drinking. Quite frequently a combination of two. Drinking and either hunting or researching.<br>"My first brush with hunting was when I was six. I was attacked by a shtriga. Dean was supposed to be looking after me but got bored so he left. Dad rescued me. I can't remember any of it. When I was eight, I found my Dad's journal. I made Dean tell me about it and my training started. Guns, knives, even more intense martial arts, all of that sort of thing.  
>"I had blissful two months here with Bobby, when I was about 11. Dad was on a hunt and Dean was somewhere or the other, I can't remember. No hunting, not really, very little training; it was more throw a ball and fix that car. A holiday I guess.<br>"My first hunt was when I was 14. Werewolf. Almost got bit but Dean saved me. Again. He carried me out of the fire when Mom was killed and he was always patching me up as a kid.  
>"I left hunting though, when I was 18. I went to Stanford to study pre-law. I got a girlfriend: Jess. She was great. I was there for four years and I was just about to enter a law program on a full-ride when Dean showed up at the apartment in the middle of the night. Dad had gone missing on a hunt and he wanted my help finding him. So off we went on my first hunt in four years.<br>"We were only gone for one weekend. I had to be back on Monday, I had an interview. But when I got back, Jess was -" He stopped again, his heart breaking slightly. Jess had been his everything. His eyes watered and he began to shake. Deep breaths, deep breaths. You can do it.  
>"Jess was on the ceiling with her stomach slashed open. I didn't know until I got into bed and her blood dripped on my forehead. And when I opened my eyes -" He stopped again.<br>"She lit up. The entire ceiling just burst into flames. If Dean hadn't stayed behind for some unknown reason, I wouldn't be here. I'd be ash. She was still alive when the ceiling burnt." His voice was a whisper now. The pure pain was evident.  
>"I started hunting again, for the same reason Dad had started. To find the bastard that killed her. We carried on hunting and searching, Dean and I. The two Winchesters, on the road again. It was all you heard about if you went into a hunter bar." His voice became slightly mocking. "'Have you heard? The youngest Winchester is back. Yep, left college. His girlfriend died in the same way his mom did.' It was sickening."<br>He looked at her. Her face was soft, her eyes flooded with support and emotion.  
>"She was in my nightmares for ages. Years. Sometimes, I get them now. I see her eyes and the blood on her stomach. I had visions of her death, before it had happened, but I ignored them. And then we found the demon that killed Mom, Azazel. We hunted him down, we had found a gun that could kill him, but we failed. We got in a crash. Dean almost died. So Dad traded his life and soul for Dean's life. And died."<br>"After that, we carried on hunting. Normal hunts, demon hunts, whatever. I started to experience even more premonitions and telekinesis. We found out eventually why I was given demon blood as a child. And it was terrifying. Scared the shit out of me, scared the shit out of Dean. I think it even scared Bobby. And Bobby doesn't scare easily.  
>"The reason I was fed demon blood, along with several others, was so that eventually one of us would become the leader of a demon army. We had to become evil. There was me, Jake, Andy, Ava, Lily, Max, countless amounts. And we were all 'created' so that we could free Lucifer. And there weren't just a few of us from the same time period. There were babies from when I was 22. Little Rosie.<br>"In the end, we were all placed in this ghost town. And the aim of the game was to be the last one standing. Ava died, Lily died, Andy died, the others all died. Except for Jake. He killed me."  
>There was a gasp from Lea. Sam looked at her. Her eyes were filled with tears now. He watched as one rolled down her cheek. He reached out and brushed it away with his thumb, trying not to notice her slight flinch when he touched her skin.<br>"I died." His voice broke and tears began to roll down his cheeks. "And then Dean made a deal with a crossroads demon. My life for his soul. With a catch. Instead of ten years, Dean could only have one. And he agreed to it.  
>"So I came back to life. I didn't remember anything about dying. Dean told me I'd blacked out and that was it. Life carried on. Until I figured out that I'd actually died. And I made him tell me everything. I started working on getting him out of the deal. But he wasn't having any of it. 'Sammy, don't worry. It'll be fine', all of the regular crap.<br>"We carried on hunting. And the days kept going. Closer and closer to the day Dean was on a one way trip to Hell. He wasn't the only one either. We met Bela, I never have met such a bitch, and she was on Hell's list as well. She sold her soul at 14 in exchange for her parents' deaths. And then, we found out about Lilith.  
>"Ironically, we found out about Lilith from another demon. Ruby. And she wasn't Miss Popular in Hell either. Still isn't. She said she knew a way. Told us about Lilith. Dean started to hope again. He'd lost all hope.<br>"But then, before we could make Lilith cancel the contract, his time was up. So now Dean's roasting in Hell and has been for two months.  
>"So there. That's me. I'm a hunter who never knew anything else, holds a pre-law diploma and has a brother roasting in Hell," he finished. His head had dropped again, somewhere through his story. He didn't want to look up but he knew he had to. He forced his head up.<br>Lea looked shocked. The tears had stopped but he could make out the stains on her skin. She was looking at him in a way that had Sam more uncomfortable than anything he had ever experienced before. "Lea?" he whispered.


End file.
